QUETTA: Authorities in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province sacked 15 paramilitary personnel of Levies, it emerged Saturday, for showing “cowardice” by surrendering to armed militants of a separatist group following an attack on Zehri, a small town in Khuzdar district, on January 8.
Dozens of ethnic Baloch separatists entered the area and took control of Zehri Bazaar for several hours, setting government properties on fire and robbing Rs768,000 ($2,745) from a private bank.
Footage and pictures seen by Arab News showed armed fighters roaming the streets of the town after seizing weapons, vehicles and motorbikes from the paramilitary force.
Security forces later reclaimed the town following skirmishes with the militants, during which one soldier was injured.
“The Levies officials clearly showed cowardice and irresponsibility,” said a notification seen by Arab News. “The undersigned is of the view that there is no need to conduct any formal inquiry.”
Prepared by Khuzdar’s deputy commissioner, Yasir Iqbal Dashti, the notification was issued on January 9, a day after the incident.
Dashti confirmed the development to Arab News, saying the district administration had terminated the services of Levies personnel who did not fight the militants.
An outlawed armed separatist faction, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced a low-level insurgency led by separatist groups like the BLA, who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, while neglecting the local population.
Pakistani governments deny these allegations, saying that it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
The BLA has emerged as a significant security threat in recent years, carrying out major attacks in Balochistan and Sindh provinces while targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis and Chinese nationals working on development projects.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people last year, according to official statistics, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.
Balochistan sacks 15 Levies personnel for surrendering to separatists in Khuzdar attack
https://arab.news/24ucf
Balochistan sacks 15 Levies personnel for surrendering to separatists in Khuzdar attack
- Dozens of armed militants took control of a small town in the district, set government properties on fire
- Khuzdar’s top administration official says paramilitary personnel showed ‘cowardice’ by not fighting
Pakistan PM to visit Qatar today to explore trade, investment, energy cooperation
- Shehbaz Sharif to lead high-level delegation comprising deputy premier, senior ministers and officials on two-day visit
- Sharif to meet Qatari amir, discuss economic collaboration, regional and global developments, says Pakistan’s foreign office
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Qatar today, Monday, for a two-day visit to the country during which both sides will explore new avenues of cooperation in trade, investment, energy and manpower export, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Sharif will visit Qatar from Feb. 23-24 at the invitation of Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the foreign office said. The Pakistani premier will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as well as other ministers and senior officials.
Sharif is expected to meet the Qatari amir during his visit and review bilateral ties, political engagement, economic collaboration, energy partnership and people-to-people exchanges, it added.
“The two sides will also explore new avenues of cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, energy, infrastructure development and manpower export,” the statement said.
The foreign office said Sharif’s visit will provide both leaderships an opportunity to exchange views on regional and global developments, reaffirming their resolve to work closely for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Pakistan enjoys robust trade and investment relations with Qatar. In 2022, the Qatari amir’s office said that the Qatar Investment Authority aims to invest $3 billion in Pakistan to support the South Asian nation’s cash-strapped economy. This investment would focus on Pakistan’s transport, civil aviation, education, health, culture, media, communications, information technology and labor sectors, the amir’s office said.
Qatar is also host to almost 300,000 Pakistanis, which is a large part of the country’s total population, according to Pakistan’s foreign office. Qatar employs a large number of Pakistanis in the health, education, engineering, finance and public service sectors.
A large number of semi-skilled and unskilled Pakistani work force also dominate the construction and transport sectors of Qatar. Pakistan’s efforts to expand employment opportunities for its skilled labor in Qatar have led to both sides signing several memoranda of understanding and letters of intent over the years.
The two nations also promote bilateral cooperation through several forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC), Joint Ministerial Commission, Joint Business Council and Working Group on Trade & Investment.
Qatar was also instrumental in easing tensions by hosting talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in October last year, after both sides were involved in fierce border clashes that killed several and wounded dozens.
